Web-based control demonstrated online

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Oct 27, 2004

Prospective users can now view a demonstration of the webDAQ/100 web-based data acquisition and control unit in action, live over the Internet.

Prospective users can now view a demonstration of the webDAQ/100 web-based data acquisition and control unit in action, live over the Internet.

A model farm scene, complete with a lamp for the sun, and a fan for wind has been created all controlled over the web through a webDAQ/100.

Visitors to http://216.204.16.27/ can turn the lamp and fan on and off, and watch the measured results, right from their own web browser.

For this demo, a standard webDAQ/100 unit was connected to a thermocouple and wind speed sensor, and the webDAQ's digital output channels were connected to circuitry to control a lamp and fan.

A simple web page was then designed to show these.

A commercially available web camera was added so users can see the actual setup over the web.

The live web page is actually sourced by the web server inside the webDAQ/100.

The updating numeric values and thermometer display are also provided by the webDAQ/100.

The webDAQ/100 can also show data in a strip chart style display.

According to Audon Electronics, this demo shows just a small fraction of the webDAQ/100's capabilities.

The webDAQ/100 is a high performance 32-channel data acquisition and control unit with a built-in web server, ASCII and binary report facilities, graphing, email, FTP, Alarms, Modbus and more.

The company reckons it is perfect for applications in factory automation, industrial automation, process monitoring, environmental or building monitoring, temperature testing, and many other areas.

The webDAQ/100 features 32 single-ended, 16 differential 12bit analogue input channels converting at 500kHz, eight analogue outputs for sensor excitation or waveform generation and eight digital I/Os.

The analogue inputs can be configured for most common sensors such as thermocouples and RTDs and signal averaging can be applied to eliminate noise.

Multiple scan rates and extensive triggering options come as standard.

The webDAQ/100 can be connected to a single PC or can perform data acquisition anywhere on an existing network, whether it's in the field with a portable computer, through a factory on a local-area net, or worldwide as shown in the demo.

The webDAQ/100 can even acquire data in stand-alone mode using in-built data storage memory.

The webDAQ/100 features user configurable reports that can be retrieved at pre-defined intervals.

An optional alarm function allows monitoring of analogue input signals against alarm thresholds.

An alarm condition can set a digital output, send an email or upload data in an alarm report.

The webDAQ/100 makes it easy to: display data in custom screens designed for specific applications; and show measurements numerically, as bargraphs or custom graphics.

No programming is required, just use a web-page editing package such as Microsoft FrontPage or Adobe PageMill and upload into the webDAQ.

The webDAQ/100 can also be controlled from a command line interface with simple text commands.

Custom programs can even be written in C, VB Java etc and downloaded.

The webDAQ/100 can be used as a device on factory automation or HMI software such as DAQFactory through the Modbus interface.

For maximum flexibility the hardware interface can either be through Ethernet or serial ports.

Commonly used on PLCs and other factory automation systems, this new capability provides integration with the world's leading factory management systems.

The webDAQ/100 is a stock item from Audon Electronics.